Poverty

By Alex, Joy, Simon

What is poverty?

It is the condition of having little or no money.It is the lack of shelter.People in poverty have no access to health care.It is the state of having no means of support.Children in poverty cannot go to school“The state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possession.” (Definition from Webster's dictionary.)

Background Information

Why is poverty a global issue?

Because poverty exists in countries all over the world. There are people starving everywhere.

Children are the future. We will be the ones who will be looking after the world later on, and yet, 1 in every 2 children in the world live in poverty, meaning half of the children in the world are not getting proper education or any education at all.

What’s happening right now?

About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes.

Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.

More than 80% of the world’s population lives in countries where the difference in between incomes of the wealthy and the poor is widening.

Map of the world showing poverty as a % of the population

What are the causes of poverty

Primary factors that may lead to poverty include:Overpopulation The unequal distribution of resources in the world economy Not being able to meet high standards of living and costs of living. inadequate education and employment opportunitiesEnvironmental degradation.Economic/demographic Trends

video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySvrwYTrAz8

What is being done to stop, prevent this issue?

People are donating money + raising money.

More job opportunities are being created.

People are raising awareness to this issue.

“Human development is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes. It is about creating an environment in which people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests. People are the real wealth of nations. Development is thus about expanding the choices people have to lead lives that they value. And it is thus about much more than economic growth, which is only a means—if a very important one—of enlarging people’s choices.”

— What is Human Development?, Human Development

Reports, United Nations Development Program

Grameen Foundation/Bank & Microfinance

What is Microfinance?

Microfinance is often considered one of the most effective and flexible strategies in the fight against global poverty.

Microfinance consists of making small loans, usually less than $200, to individuals, usually women, to establish or expand a small, self-

sustaining business.

For example :

A woman may borrow $50 to buy chickens so she can sell eggs. As the chickens multiply, she will have more eggs to sell. Soon she can sell the chicks. Each expansion pulls her further from the devastation of poverty.

What is Grameen Foundation?

They try to enable the poor, especially the poorest, to create a world without poverty.

Grameen Foundation operates under the mission, "to empower the world's poorest people to lift themselves out of poverty with dignity through access to financial services and to information.”

What is Grameen Bank?

It is a banking system based on mutual trust, accountability, participation and creativity. GB provides credit to the poorest of the poor.

If financial resources can be made available to the poor people on appropriate and reasonable reasons, "these millions of small people with their millions of small pursuits can add up to create the biggest development wonder." (Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of GB)

What are they doing to try and combat or change Poverty?

Banks don't usually provide financial services to people with no cash income. because of this, they often rely on a relative or a loan moneylender, whose interests rates may be very high. Theoretically, microfinance may encompass any efforts to increase access to, or improve the quality of, financial services poor people currently use or could benefit from using. They receive loans and grants from charities. This changes poverty by giving the poor a chance to be able to recover from poverty, re-boost, and start over.

What do we like about their program?

Unlike other organizations where they just give them the money and make things a little easier for them, they try to completely bring poor people out of poverty, and let them move forward and on with life.

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Grameen Bank educates the poor and teaches them how to start their own business and earn their own money.

Video

An interview of Muhammed Yunus, the founder of Grameen bank:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPk2gRuIdj0&feature=related

Get Involved!

You can donate money to grameen foundation

Help raise money.

Inform others about poverty and tell them about grameen foundation.

Action Plan

Our Organization : P.A.P

(People Against Poverty)

Our plan- Short term goal

We will be organizing a charity event to help raise money. All the money will go to the poor.

Tickets will be 60 rmb. Free flow drinks and cheap snacks.

Bands are welcome to play. Tickets will be 50 rmb each for them

The more people, the more we’ll be able to

donate. So come join us!

Our Plan - long-term goal

Being able to see everyone being informed about poverty and doing whatever they can to help stop this global issue.

Being able to have enough money to provide stationary for a classroom.

Here’s a list of organizations/petitions that you can join to get involved in this issue:

Grameen Bank

Grameen foundation

Half the Sky Foundation

Heart to Heart foundation

UNICEF

Conclusion

Why is this important?

Improvements in the living standards and income of people in developing countries would have significant economic benefits for everyone. 

If developing countries gained even just 1% more of the value of world trade, it would lift 128 million people out of poverty. It would also provide economic growth for developed countries as new markets opened up to our own producers.

People should be treated equally and have the opportunity to live a healthy and successful life. People need to be informed about how others are living and how they can help to make this world a better place. We need to give the children starving on the streets a chance to become educated and live.

Why do we care?

If everyone would lend a helping hand and give a little something, we would see a difference in the world.

Reducing poverty helps build stronger communities, more stable governments and improves the region’s economic.

We don’t help someone or something because we were the reasons why they got in trouble in the first place. We act because we can.

For example, if we see someone who is drowning, we don’t just let them suffer or die because we’re not the ones who pushed them in the water. We act because we can, and because someone may die if we don’t.  

It is possible to end poverty. We can, collectively and individually, participate in making that change happen. So there is no reason not to do whatever we can in order to achieve it.  We don’t have to let nations drown.

Here are the answers to the quiz :

1. A

2. C

3. B

4. D

5. D

Resources

Slide 2 : - http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00282/over_whatis.htm

-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poverty

Slide 6 :

-http://www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com/poverty/reasons.html

Slide 7 :

-http://www.globalissues.org/article/4/poverty-around-the-world

Slide 8 :

-http://www.anewgreenitude.info/poverty.jpg

Slide 11 :

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grameen_Foundation